The Design Block

If you're looking for the latest in advertising and marketing, design related technology and lifestyle tips, and art or design highlights then you're in the right place. Find all this and more with the Design Block blog.

Is someone using terrible kerning, stretching type or did you get a client brief in the dreaded Comic Sans? Don’t despair. The next time someone commits design offences, you can write them up with this Typographic Ticket Book.

The colourless beverage trend in Japan includes drinks like yogurt drinks, milk tea, coffee, and most recently, beer. On June 19th, Japanese drinks giant Suntory is launching a non-alcoholic colourless beer; packaged in a plastic bottle, the company hopes it will be particularly popular with…

Taking your eyes off the road while driving, even for a second, could lead to disaster. When it comes to distracted driving, texting is becoming the number one concert. In fact, Canadians say that texting while driving is one of the biggest threats to their personal…

There are plenty of bad designers out there, but there are also lots of good ones. A good designer is someone who has an eye for what works and what doesn’t; they’re more than confident with their design skills and can adapt to what’s asked…

The popular streaming service Spotify has once again erected a number of billboards that expose the shameless listening habits of some of its users. Titled 2018 Goals, the new campaign proves that clearing out your “recently played” just isn’t enough anymore.

Many drivers and pedestrians have become used to tuning out billboard advertisements. But what if those billboards could serve up ads to you based on your vehicle, or even how you’re feeling? One London billboard is trying just that.

Starting any graphic design project requires preparation. There are briefs to follow, theories to consider, and deadly sins to avoid. So if you’re thinking about using Comic Sans or flattening your Photoshop file, think again.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, stores are flooded with candy hearts, chocolates and stuffed animals. And while North Americas shower their loved ones this way, other countries around the world declare their love differently.

If you’re a creative whose wondering what the year ahead holds, then lets look at your horoscope. Adobe, with the help of stock contributor Natalia Hubbert, has created a horoscope that offers a peek at your creative potential and success for the new year. Will you…

According to Occam’s razor, the simplest solutions are oft the best. And when trying to ease smartphone addiction, it couldn’t possibly get simpler than the NoPhone. This 100% water resistant phone-shaped device is essentially a rectangular plastic slab. What does it do? Absolutely nothing save act as surrogate…

An argument can be made that in order to deserve respect from other humans, you need to be human. However, with peoples deep love for animals, it raises fundamental questions about the basis of moral rights.

Don’t flush your toilet paper and never finish your food or you’ll seem rude. When traveling to other countries for the first time, some local practices might come as potential culture shocks to foreigners. This handy infographic reveals surprising habits and social faux pas from around the world.

As the industry standard, Photoshop is a powerful image editing tool for designers. There are lots of Photoshop resources around to help us keep on top of thing, including handy tutorials. But in the wrong hands it can affect quality and make things less productive.

Is your cat trying to tell yo something? According to Arden Moore, author of The Cat Behavior Answer Book, cats are capable of making at least 30 sounds. Cats are also have at least 19 variations on the simple meow. In an attempt to bridge the gap between…

Do one or more of your colleagues behave unprofessionally at work, leaving you to question how they even still have a job? We’re all creatures of habit and it’s hard to change the behaviours we’ve become accustomed to. But like I’m sure your mother said, “There’s a time…

Verbal cues aren’t the only way that humans express what they’re thinking or feeling. In fact, we express a lot through visual cues given off by our body language. It also plays a large factor in the type of impression we make on others.

According to researchers, the average person is so engrossed in their smart device that they can no longer accurately read how people are feeling. Those same people also have such an obsession with their devices that they’ve forgotten how to properly interact with people in…

You’ve searched for the job, made it through all of the interviews and referencing to finally land that exciting new job. Now you just have to make it through the first day. It’s natural to want to be liked, to impress, or fit in quickly. However,…

All email users have their own unique habits, it seems. I’ve known some who have to read every single email that comes through their inbox. And I’ve known others who have completely opposite habits, only checking what’s at the top… sometimes.

Your signature is unique to you. It’s a mark that represents you on important documents; something that allows people to trust that what it represents came from you. But did you know that signatures can indicate over 5,000 personality traits?

There’s no doubt that you’ll come across clients who make ridiculous demands. And sure, designers might tell little lies to avoid having to deal with those demands. But what do you do when a client comes to you wanting cheaper work?

Most people understand that you have one chance to make a first impression. How you give your handshakes and/or greetings are part of that impression. Giving handshakes, however simple it sounds, can mean serious business, especially when different cultures have their own rules about how…

Sometimes it’s not what people say, but how they say it. And there’s really nothing worse than lying clients who have a casual relationship with the truth—except one who won’t pay. Lying clients make life difficult for everyone and makes you look like a fool for…

Sorry bosses, a new breed of worker is attacking everything you hold sacred—from giving orders, to your starched white shirt and tie. They’re called Millennials (or Generation Y); born between 1980 and 1995, they’re rapidly taking over jobs from baby boomers who are now entering retirement.

Are you usually less productive in the morning? For me, mornings are time to get things done before the workday begins. However, great mornings don’t just happen, they’re planned. They’re also about creating a routine that works; keeping you inspired and not just wired.

You can pick your friends, you can’t pick your family and for the most part, you can’t pick your co-workers. Even if you could, it’s hard to see through the veneer of professional behaviour most people put on for a job interview. Worst of all, unlike with irritating acquaintances,…

When it comes to the office bathroom, there are unspoken rules that should always be adhered to; leaving wiggle room in the mens, and throwing feminine products in the right bin in the ladies, for example. However, if you have a colleague in need of a…

We’ve all done it; waiting for a traffic light to turn, checking to see if it’s clear, then doing the mad dash for the other side of the street. It’s not the safest move. Creatively taking on the question of “how can we make our cities…

These days people are captivated by their smartphones and connected devices; so much so that they have become oblivious to the world around them. This smartphone addiction is especially prevalent in Chinese youth. That’s why the city of Chongqing has created the first mobile phone sidewalk.

When was the last time you had a nice, leisurely nap? If you’re not a morning person like me, getting up early to start work leaves you feeling tired most of the day. To ease that tired feeling, I find napping (whenever possible) help give…

Do you bring your cellphone with you to the toilet? Whether you admit it or not, most of us actually do some form of reading while in the can. In fact 63% of people read a book, magazine, or newspaper while using the bathroom; another…

For most people, a quiet drink after work is a quick treat before they head home for their dinner. However, for these Japanese, the end-of-the-day quickly pint turns into one too many. The result is people becoming passed out drunk and end up sleeping on the streets of Tokyo.

Each day you wake up and rush to get ready for work. You shower at lightning speed, wolf down your breakfast and grab your coffee before running out the door. After work, you eat dinner, sprawl out on the couch and binge Netflix. Then it’s…

Chances are pretty good that your main goal in life is to end up happy. Is it accomplished through good finances, material goods, love, or something else entirely? And what is happiness exactly? Is it purely an emotion, or does being happy transcend just an in-the-moment chemical reaction?…

What makes a phrase cringe-worthy? The Huffington Post editors were asked which common phrases bother them the most. The common thread among the responses was uselessness. Often, the phrases that we find off-putting are those that serve as conversational fillers, implying that the speaker is vapid or…

In a world filled with late-night booty calls and infidelity, it’s easy to become jaded by today’s dating scene. Women expect the worst from men; proceeding cautiously during the first few months of dating. It becomes a relief for them when they then stumble upon those few true gentlemen.…

Travelling around the world has plenty of benefits: seeing new places, experiencing new cultures and meeting new people. Well, if you’re going to travel off the beaten path, be careful; so much as a thumb in the wrong direction could prove to be a huge insult to…

Daniel Swanick has been working as both a freelance and in-house Art Director / Senior Graphic Designer in the Greater Toronto Area for over ten years. He looks at every project from both a creative and strategic point-of-view to deliver engaging, conceptually driven ideas.